Danielle Alvarez's chicken diavola and chicken tinga tostadas recipes

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Spice-up your midweek chicken dinners with these two unbeatable recipes. Reach for fresh chilli with chicken diavola, or a taste of Mexico with tinga tostadas.

Chicken diavola

​A flat-roasted chicken with lots of chilli.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 whole Lilydale chicken, backbone removed and butterflied
• salt
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 500g small potatoes
• 2 long red chilies, split lengthwise
• 1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges

Spice rub

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ or ½ tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp Aleppo chilli flakes
• ½ tsp dried rosemary
• ½ tsp dried oregano

METHOD

1. Lay your chicken flat in a roasting tray and season it well with salt on both sides. Leave it out at room temperature for 30 minutes, or uncovered in the fridge for up to a day ahead. After 30 minutes, combine the vinegar and oil, and spoon half of this mixture onto the chicken. Leave it to sit for another 30 minutes, until the chicken fully comes to room temperature.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C fan-forced (220C conventional).
3. Mix together the spice rub ingredients and rub over the top side of the chicken.
4. Place the onion and chillies underneath the chicken. Roast for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, add the potatoes to a small pot and cover with cold water. Season the water well with salt and boil until tender.
6. Place the potatoes, cut side down, in the tray, arranging them around the chicken. Roast for 20 minutes.
7. Baste the chicken and potatoes with the remaining oil and vinegar and pull the chillies out from under the chicken so they roast a little. Leave the onions where they are. Reduce the oven temperature to 155C fan-forced (175C conventional) and continue cooking for another 20-25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
8. Allow to rest in the tray, then cut the chicken into pieces and serve with the pan drippings as the sauce.

Serves 4

Chicken tinga tostadas

This is one of my favourite Mexican taco dishes because a) it's easy to prepare and b) you can find all the ingredients pretty easily.

INGREDIENTS

• 2kg Lilydale chicken drumsticks
• 2 brown onions
• 1 carrot, cut into large chunks
• 1 stalk celery, cut into three lengths
• 4 garlic cloves
• 5 roma tomatoes
• 1-3 chipotle chillies in adobo (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• 1 tsp white vinegar

To serve

• 1 can refried beans
• 12 corn tortillas
• neutral oil for frying tortillas
• sour cream
• white onion, finely diced
• ¼ cup chopped coriander
• 1 lime

METHOD

1. Add the chicken to a pot with 1 onion, halved, the carrot and celery and cover with cold water by 4-5cm. Bring to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is falling off the bone. Strain and reserve stock. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the chicken into fine strands. Discard the veg, chicken bones and skin. Set chicken aside.
2. Halve the tomatoes, peel and halve one of the onions and peel the garlic cloves. Place them in a chargrill pan over high heat (or on a tray under the grill (in the top third of your oven)) for 4-5 minutes until blackened, then flip and do the same on the other side. Scrape everything into a blender and blend to an even consistency. Add the chipotle and blend again, then transfer to a bowl and season with salt.
3. Heat a large frypan over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of oil then add the salsa and cook until it is reduced by one quarter, about 3-4 minutes. Add in 400ml of reserved chicken stock (save the rest for another use) and then add the shredded chicken. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and is coating the chicken, then add in the vinegar. Taste for seasoning, adjust with salt and serve hot.
4. Meanwhile, fry your tortillas until crispy, one at a time, in a frypan and set aside.
5. Warm the refried beans in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.
6. Chop the white onion finely and mix it with the chopped coriander. Set aside.
7. To assemble, top each crispy tostada with refried beans, some of the chicken, a spoonful of sour cream and the coriander-onion mix. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze on top.

Serves 4

For nearly 20 years, passionate Lilydale farmers have been perfecting free range farming based on one simple belief: chicken that's raised better, tastes better. Today, our commitment to quality and to the welfare of our chickens is what sets us apart.

We work hard to raise Australia's favourite free range chicken. But that kind of devotion makes all the difference.

From our farm to your plate. Where the finest ingredients transform into memorable dishes.

Lilydale. Dedication you can taste.

This recipe is from episode four of Good Food Kitchen season 2, screening on 9Now.